Of the Night
by Lia Harkness
Summary: A series of Drabbles that focus on little snippets of Janeway and Chakotay during their late and early hours of the day- sleeping, insomnia and waking up.
1. Chapter 1

Chakotay's quarters were quiet and still in the night. The dim shine from the stars that sped past the porthole provided the only light, glancing off of his blankets, which rose and fell in time with sleep laden breathing.

The whole room shuddered as Voyager was hit and they fell out of warp. The movement was sudden; a frantic mixture of tangled limbs and covers as they jolted awake. He heard the chirp of the comm badge in his ear as his arms found their way around the one thing that mattered most to him.

"Janeway to Bridge; report."


	2. Chapter 2

He heard the doors to his Quarters swish open and her feet pad softly across the floor, trying not to wake him. Unsuccessfully.

"Don't tell me you've been in your Ready Room all this time?" She smiled at his groggy voice and sat beside him, running a hand lightly up his arm.

"I had work to do," she whispered, her breath dancing across his ear. He grunted in protest and rolled over, but she hushed him, planting a soft kiss on his tattooed temple.

"Go back to sleep, my Angry Warrior. I'll only be a few more minutes, I promise."


	3. Chapter 3

"You could have been killed, Kathryn. It's my job to keep you safe."

"No, your job is to make sure that the ship is safe when I'm not onboard."

"I wasn't talking about being your first officer." He reached for her hand but she pulled away.

"If _this_ is clouding your professional judgement, then we shouldn't be here."

"Kathryn..."

"Goodnight, Commander." The doors swished closed behind her.

That night, both were restless and couldn't sleep - not until she slipped back into his quarters and under the covers. As he wrapped his arms around her protectively, she murmured:

"I'm sorry."


	4. Chapter 4

Chakotay awoke sharply to a sudden, jabbing pain in his side.

"Did you just poke me?" He frowned down at the mass of tangled auburn hair beside him, amused as it stirred slightly.

"Stop snoring," she mumbled blearily, tugging the covers with her as she rolled over. "I have the early shift in the morning."

With a small chuckle, Chakotay pulled her slight frame towards him until her back was resting against his chest. Wrapping his arms around her waist and tangling his legs with hers, he brushed his lips across her neck and murmured in her ear;

"Aye, Captain."


	5. Chapter 5

"Kathryn? What's wrong?" With her back facing him, she could still have been sleeping. But she wasn't. He could tell she was crying. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Chakotay gently rolled Kathryn onto her back and gazed into her eyes, brushing away the tears.

"Kathryn?"

"It's my fault, I sent you on that away mission," was all she could manage before fresh tears tumbled down her cheeks.

"I'm alive, Kathryn." Ignoring the pain in his chest that remained from the blast, he pulled her towards him, allowing the sound of his steady heartbeat to soothe her back to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

"Put them down." Arms folded, Chakotay glared across at Kathryn, who was sat at her desk in her night gown.

"But B'Elanna-" He cut her off mid-speech, circling behind her chair.

"Will understand that her captain needs sleep, too. If she doesn't, I'll talk to her." He placed a feather-light kiss at the crook of Kathryn's neck, sending shivers down her spine. In her distraction, he pulled the padd from her grasp and deactivated the monitor. She sighed, but chose not to resist. He linked his fingers with hers, and guided her through to the other room.

"Computer: lights out."


	7. Chapter 7

The away team would only be gone a few more hours. Sixteen hours and twenty two minutes more. Eight of which she should be sleeping

Chakotay and the others had left for a routine survey of a binary star system. They had maintained full communication. There were no complications. But Kathryn couldn't sleep without him - her usual stress now amplified. The bed felt empty.

Sixteen hours and twenty minutes.

She gathered his pillow to her chest, draping her limbs across it. It still smelt like him. It was a poor substitute, but for now it would have to do.


	8. Chapter 8

Chakotay found two steaming mugs on the table when he entered his quarters, but, apart from her jacket draped over the back of a chair, there were no other signs of Kathryn. Ducking his head through the bedroom doors, he smiled at the sight of her sleeping, her legs still hanging off of the bed. Hers had been a long and difficult shift. Careful not to wake her, he removed her shoes, pips and communicator badge before tucking her under the covers. Chakotay collected his mug from the other room and settled beside her, stroking her hair as she slept.


	9. Chapter 9

_There isn't much that beats waking to the smell of coffee_, Kathryn thought as the bitter scent overwhelmed her. Blearily, she opened her eyes and accepted the mug being waved enticingly under her nose. She took a long, deep draught and sighed, slumping back against the headboard. As Chakotay slid back under the covers beside her he chuckled, drawing her attention.

"What?" she asked defensively.

"Sometimes I think you love coffee more than me." With a smirk, she pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.

"Nonsense, of course I love you more. You bringing me coffee, though, is a factor."


	10. Chapter 10

"You woke us up for this?"

"Us, Sir?" Harry asked tentatively.

"The captain is a lighter sleeper than I am. If you wake me, you'll rouse her too." Chakotay chuckled as he watched the younger man flush red, stuttering and stammering. The sensors had detected an asteroid belt that would mean extending course by another five months. Harry hadn't wanted to make that decision alone. Chakotay patted the ensign on the back in amusement, before turning back to the turbolift.

"Divert course and we'll pretend that this conversation never happened."

"Aye, Sir." Harry sank back into the captain's chair, mortified.


End file.
